I departed my RV park at 7 AM with the intention of hitting Mt. Scott (8929’), the highest peak in the park, sometime in the morning before checking in to Mazama campground. The drive was relatively short, about 2 and a half hours, and I was able to hit the trail at 9:30. The smoke was thick, making any vistas hazy and indistinct. I really enjoyed this climb, however, as it was relatively mild (5 miles RT/1300’) and I was able to tool along at a good pace. I like being in shape and maybe 15 pounds lighter than my usual winter weight. I’m assuming this comes from the combination of hiking for two weeks with my daughter and the fact that I have to feed myself in the van. Soon enough I was on the broad summit, with hazy indistinct views in all directions….I couldn’t even make out the lake, it was all a white slurry vision. No sense hanging around, though the breezes were cool and stiff, so I descended into mouth juice hell at Rim Village. Packed on a Sunday, as to be expected, so I spent little time here and shot pics of the Crater Lake Lodge, open but only guests could enter the grounds. Nonetheless, this looks like a magnificent stay if the inside is anything like the outside. Luckily, parking was no issue and I left the zoo for Mazama Village and campground. I had booked the campground for two nights but my name was highlighted so I had to go inside and check in. While there I picked up some canned wine, beer and, in anticipation for a longer hike the next day, a very large Crater Lake Ale. Move over cheese, these things are taking priority in the fridge space.
I spent the afternoon doing chores. Van life is not all relaxing, it takes constant upkeep. I did two loads of laundry in the Scrubba and hung everything out to dry at the back of the van, swept and cleaned the floor, which is under constant bombardment from dust and dirt. Then I spent considerable time cleaning off the thousands of tiny insects from the windshield and front end; on the trip over there were swarms of them. Luckily, they had toasted enough in the afternoon sun to make fairly easy removal with some wipes. Then I orbited the inside, cleaning off my dusty handprints from the seats and generally wiping everything down. All told, I spent about 2 to 3 hours working on housekeeping. But of course, I was also partaking of a few of the beers I had bought, so no bother, I was feeling good. Finally it was time to make dinner. After doing the dishes, I took a nice hot shower and changed into sweats. I set one of my chairs up outside, read some of my book, and sipped some wine as the evening wore into eventual darkness. I experienced a profound sense of peace, thankful for good health and, after a lifetime of hard work, the ability to enjoy retirement without anything to worry about. .
